Last October I got a quick peek into really interesting new product from IBM called Case Manager, which is actually more like a toolbox and workbench to build your organization’s case management solutions. I have my huge doubts on how it will work in reality, but the concept was interesting.

So what was it all about and what got me interested about it?

Case management solutions have traditionally included a combination of features of content management tools, workflow engines, business rules and some kind of client Ui either as a rich client – or as a website / portal. Depending on the solution – features have been either bespoke solutions with custom features – or they have included existing ECM and BPM solutions integrated as a case management solution with custom logic, UI and workflows.

Numerous IBM partners have also built their case management solutions on top of IBM tools: for example FileNet, Notes and WebSphere BPM tools. Common theme in all of these has been that solutions and integrations between different components has always been a totally custom solution – and each solution has had it’s own ecosystem. Case Manager has the opportunity and idea of being a common platform for case management solutions and a new ecosystem for components and features that people can buy, sell and share from Case Manager solution to another — and from Case Manager application to another.

As Case Manager is built on top of FileNet, IBM mashup center and ILog rules engine – it is clear that the solution has a starting price which will scare some organizations away – but then again large organizations with multitude of different needs can see Case Manager as a case management infrastructure. Though I will not see myself doing Case Manager projects yet this year, I will keep my eyes open and stay keen on learning more about the platform and possibilities.

Would be interested to hear real case stories and experiences from people who have actually done or tried to do implementation projects with the platform.